"The Old Rugged Cross" has been a country gospel favorite ever since it became the title song of Ernest Tubb's 1952 gospel album; it has been performed by some of the twentieth century's most important recording artists, including Andy Griffith, Anne Murray, Brad Paisley, Chet Atkins, John Berry, Floyd Cramer, George Jones, Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, Loretta Lynn, Ray Price, Ricky Van Shelton, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. The Oak Ridge Boys, The Statler Brothers, Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Alan Jackson, George Beverly Shea and John Prine on the 2007 CD "Standard Songs for Average People" with Mac Wiseman. British television dramatist Dennis Potter used the gospel song prominently in several of his plays, most notably Pennies from Heaven (1978); and the song also played a major part in "Gridlock" (2007), an episode of the long-running sci-fi drama series Doctor Who. In early 2009, the song was covered by Johnny Cash and June Carter, Kevin Max, Mahalia Jackson, Merle Haggard, and Patsy Cline. Parts included for this arrangement are: Full Score, 1st, 2nd, 3rd Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Acoustic Bass (Optional).

Performance Time: Approx. 2 minutes 15 seconds

Gabriel Pierne's Opus 30, Pastoral Variations in the Old Style was written in 1894 for piano and he later set the piece for six winds. There are seven brief movements, all in a different style borrowing from older styles (Style Ancien). This is a setting of the piece for clarinet quartet by John Gibson and includes both the score and parts. (3 Bb Clarinets and 1 Bass Clarinet) The music is not too difficult and could be handled by good intermediate players, depending on the tempos taken by the group.

This is one from a collection of 7 gospel songs from the late 18th, 19th and early 20th Century, in their original versions, as arranged for clarinet quartet. The arrangements differ from the choral originals for instrumental purposes in that: some repeated notes in the lower instruments are merged into single long notes various notes are slurred or made into staccatos and fermatas (pauses) are recreated as extended notes and bars, where it makes musical sense to do so. These arrangements are also available as a bundle of 7 (7 Songs of Glory ) for $25 and also separately, at $4.00 each: The Glory Song (C H Gabriel) I Need Thee Every Hour (Robert Lowry) Count your Blessings (E O Excell) Just As I Am (W Bradbury) O for a thousand tongues to sing (Charles Wesley) (Hymn tune known as Lyngham) Tell me the old old story (W H Doane) Trust and obey (D B Towner)